Project 1:

Paper Circuit

Welcome to my first creative project about the love between avocados 💕

My First Step

Inspired by an in-class simple circuit and a short video about DIY slider cards, an idea about pulling 2 avocados to make them feel love came across into my mind for the paper circuit project. At first, I hesitated to carry it out because I was just afraid I could not do it. However, the concept of self-efficacy in class motivated me to sketch out my idea and plan how to place the copper table so that the heart lights would be on when 2 avocados' hands are touched. My circuit is similar to the simple paper circuit. The dashed line indicates that the white paper is folded in that position. The circle in which the dashed line passes through is the battery. The larger dark rectangular represents a yellow paper decorated with avocado 1. It will cover the white paper containing the circuit. The smaller dark rectangular is a moving green bar that connects avocado 2 to avocado 1.

My Second Step

Proceeding from the first step, I created a circuit with a battery, copper tapes, and 2 red lights. On the position in which my fingers are placed the bottom copper tape touches the batter. Consequently, the 2 red lights are on.

My Third Step

Accordingly, I created a moving green bar with avocado 2 on it and then decorated the yellow paper with avocado 1, and the two hearts. The yellow paper will be glued on top of the white paper in my second step. Make sure that the position of the avocados' hands is the same as the position of the battery. It is where my 2 fingers are placed in the images on my second step.

Consequently, when the green bar is moving from the right to the left, the 2 avocados are holding hands. And, by touching their hands, magic will come! The hearts' lights are on! They feel the love 💕

Project 1.mp4

My Final Version 🥑🤝🥑

Tadaa! 🥳 This is my final version! In this version, the 2 lights seemed to be dim because the video was recorded in a bright room, my camera was not highly qualified and there were 2 paper layers covering the lights. Hence, if my paper circuit was in a deemer room, the heart lights would be brighter.

I hope you enjoyed the video and my final paper circuit version!

Reflection

💡How my Self-efficacy improved through creating a paper circuit 💡

To me, the paper circuit project is such a fun and fascinating chance to learn through doing. Although the project is seemingly simple, it embodies a deeper theme of self-efficacy when it comes to failure occurring between the first step and the final version.

During 3 years at Mount Holyoke College, there have been times when I have steered away from courses and co-curricular activities based on my perception of discomfort zone. For instance, activities that might require artistic creativity or hand-crafting were likely to discourage me since my mind thought that I was not artistic enough that I did not know where to start, or were my skills suitable for carrying the project out. In this case, my low sense of self-efficacy resulted in a reluctance to engage in hands-on activities involving drawing or crafting, coupled with a fear of what if my sketch did not work.

One of the challenges I encountered while working on the project was my circuit did not work, and one of the red lights did not light up as I expected. I examined my circuit several times but I could not find where the issue was from. A fear of not successfully carrying out the sketch into the final version frustrated me to think of maybe just letting one of the lights on. However, I did not want my fear to dominate my thought I asked for help from Professor Heather and my TA. Then, I realized that as the copper tapes might not connect properly in the corners, one of the lights could not work well. I decided to redo all the corners on my circuit. After redoing, that light seemed to work while the paper was bent. Carefully viewing the way I attached the light with my TA, we noticed that as the positive sign of the light did not touch well with the copper tape, the electricity did not flow well. The decision not to give up, figuring out the problems, and being willing to redo my work has shifted me towards a growth mindset and an increase in self-efficacy. This failure indicated that self-efficacy plays a crucial role in my learning journey.

Consequently, if I were to revisit a decision to embrace or turn away from a course or activity, especially those outside my comfort zone involving a fear of failure, I would tell my former self that the boundaries of our comfort zones are not fixed. They are expanded with effort, persistence, and a willingness to learn from failures, emphasizing the development of my self-efficacy. In addition, trial and error are valuable outcomes. Instead of regard failure as a threat to my self-image, which could be outside my comfort zone, I would also encourage my former self to view it as an opportunity to expand my skills and self-concept. Hence, self-efficacy is built through overcoming challenges. The process of troubleshooting has broadened my horizons and redefined what I consider within our realm of capabilities.

The paper circuit project is not just about creativity, it's a microcosm of how mindset and self-efficacy influence my approach to challenges/failures. It demonstrates the importance of trying to step out of my comfort zone with a growth mindset and paying more attention to detail, which can lead to an increase in my self-efficacy.

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